There are a lot of different things you can use them for!
This might be hard to hear, but that spice rack full of delicious spices that you have collected over the years probably can’t be used for cooking anymore. All spices have an expiration date and unfortunately, that is way shorter than some of the spices you have in your home. But the good news: there are some ways in which you can use your expired spices!
1. Smell
Even though they might not add a whole lot of flavor to your food anymore, they will still smell pretty good. And that means that you can use them to make your home smell fresh again. So fill some sachets with spices like thyme, oregano or sage and put them in places in your home that could use a little air freshener. You could also make it into potpourri. Just boil some water and add spices like cinnamon, cloves, cardamon and ginger. Say goodbye to musty smells!
2. DIY
If you’re feeling crafty, then you can use your spices in your very own do it yourself-projects. Who knew you could use spices to make scented candles? Just melt some soy wax and add some coconut oil, ginger, clove, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour everything into a jar and voilá! Your candle is done. Another DIY project that you could use spices for, are bars of soap. If you add spices to your soap, not only will it smell great, but the little bits will function as a natural exfoliant too! Spices are also great for making natural clothes dyes. Especially turmeric, saffron and paprika are great options. Just wrap them in a cheesecloth separately, boil them in different pots of water and let it sit for an hour. Then add some white vinegar and the fabric that you want to dye. Let that mixture sit for about thirty minutes and take the fabric out to let it dry.
3. Insects
Your expired spices could help keep certain insects out of your home. That is because certain spices repel insects and bugs. After you’re done making the fragrant sachets, make some insect repelling ones too! Just put some basil, lavender, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, dill, or garlic in a sachet and put it in the places in your home where you tend to see more bugs than you would like. They will quickly move out after that!
Read more: How do you know if tea has gone bad?
Source: Real Simple | Image: Unsplash, Ratul Ghosh